Aces
by Saffronica612
Summary: Master Cyclonis/Dark Ace, in four drabble-like chapters. Each chapter revolves around a playing card, starting with the Ace of Spades and ending with the Ace of Hearts. yes, it's romance!
1. Ace of Spades

Author's Note: I started another one! This is going to be shorter than usual (just four chapters, and the chapters themselves may be shorter than usual). In fact, this is going to be more drabble-like than anything else. I got the idea, and it was just bugging me, and I couldn't write anything else. Well, I hope you like it! A new chapter will be added each day until it is complete (which won't take long at all).

Disclaimer: I don't own the Storm Hawks.

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_Ace of Spades_

The **ace of spades** (also known as the **spadille**) is traditionally speaking the highest card in the deck of playing cards, although the actual value of the card varies from game to game. In popular myth and folklore, it is also known as the "**death card." –Wikipedia, the Free Online Encyclopedia**

Master Cyclonis was rambling again. She had told herself not to speak of the future, not to long for the might-have-beens, but she just couldn't help it. Her glorious Storm Engine stood nearly complete, missing only the Aurora Stone, and then it would be over for the Atmosians who had defied their rule for too long. It was a future so captivating and a past so infuriating that she couldn't help but speak of it, even if her subordinates could not understand the beauty and the irony.

"Once upon a time," she said coolly, not even bothering to turn from her great contraption, "Cyclonia controlled the entire Atmos. Then along came the Sky Knights, and all that got messed up." Her hands clenched, knuckles white. She did not like to think of failure. Better to ponder the glorious future that awaited them. "I want things back the way they used to be. And as soon as my Talon squadrons clip the wings of those Sky Knights, they will."

"That would be my pleasure, Master."

Someone new had entered the room; a man who was feared and respected as much as Cyclonis herself. He had been one of her mother's most trusted commanders. He had been her mentor, her advisor, her surrogate father, her…friend? Was she even allowed to have friends?

He was the only person she trusted. She visibly relaxed.

"Dark Ace. So glad you could join us." _I was worried that you weren't coming_. Her doubts, of course, she would not voice. Still, logic and reason meant everything to her, and she did not know his reason of betraying his original squadron. She did not see his reason for staying in Cyclonia, with her.

What happened next mattered little to her. She threatened the idiot Raptor, she listen patiently as they reported Carver's failure. She knew that the traitorous Sky Knight would fail to bring her the stone; she never expected him to. He had done his real job, though: take out his own squadron and leave Terra Atmosia defenseless.

And so the Dark Ace was sent off to fetch her crystal for her. She did not turn to watch him leave. That would be showing weakness, and she was _not_ weak.

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The Dark Ace entered her throne room, bowing, holding out the crystal to her. Despite the fact that he was eight years her elder, he stilled showed her as much if not more respect than the other Talons. After all, it was not as if she trusted him for no reason. Ten years of training, protection, and even apprehensive friendship had forged a bond between them.

"And our guests?" She didn't need to ask, but she wanted to, anyway. She knew that he would not brag if she did not give him the chance. Besides, all their hard labor was finally paying off. They deserved the chance to brag.

"I've never seen such power," he replied, his voice echoing the awe he felt. He respectfully offered her the crystal.

She grinned. It transformed her face completely. Her eyes were alight with excitement, and she looked beautiful, in a wild, very dangerous way. "That, Dark Ace, was nothing. We're about to see the full power of the Aurora Stone unleashed! Imagine…"

He was not listening to the rest of what she said. He only saw her, with her excitement oozing from every pore. She seemed more alive then usual, in a strange way. She was lit up from within with a fierce, inhuman beauty. Suddenly, she turned to him, and he realized what was expected of him. He saluted again, bowing his head and placing a fist over his heart, while offering the crystal up to her.

Still grinning, she picked it up. Their hands brushed, and he felt like a jolt of electricity went down his spine. All too soon, she turned away, placing her crystal in her machine.

He smiled, watching her back. He didn't really care if her little science project with this strange machine worked or not. She was happy, and that was all that mattered.

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He watched in shock as the Aurora Stone exploded, sending out waves of purple energy. One struck her straight on, and she was thrown back. The storm raged above them, and the ceiling was collapsing.

Their enemies were escaping! But his Master lay on the ground, helpless! For a moment he was confused, and he froze up. What would she want him to do?

His instincts took over, and he rushed over to her side. The beams of the ceiling were collapsing, and there wasn't enough time to drag her down to a safer, more secure area of the palace. He had a split second to make a decision before it would be too late for both of them.

He threw himself on top of her, shielding her with his own body. A great metal beam groaned, then collapsed under the pressure of the raging winds. It slammed into him, and pain exploded in his side. Blackness circled, closing in. He felt himself drifting away.

_Is this death? I'm sorry, Master, for I have failed you. I'm sorry…_

-----------------

Red light was the next thing he saw. He knew at once that he was not dead, for two reasons: first, he did not believe in the afterlife, and second, he felt pain.

So he had survived.

His Master stood before him, not a scratch on her. At once he found the strength to stand up, despite the pain in his ribs. "You win some, you lose some. Apparently the same goes for you, too, now, Dark Ace."

If he was surprised by her amazingly cool composure, he did not show it. After all, he did know her well. She never grew angry as a child if her plans were foiled; she silently learned from her mistakes. In the end, the result was still the same: she always got what she wanted. He was just glad she did not blame him, for no punishment would be worse than a fall from her good graces.

She was still little more than a child, but he knew better. She had never really been a child. The responsibility of running an empire had turned her into an adult before she reached the double digits.

She turned away from him, surveying the extent of destruction on her home. She would have to rebuild, and regroup. It would take a while, but Cyclonia would rise from the ashes, stronger than ever before.

------------------

Luckily, the Cyclonian palace itself had not been harmed. It was one of the most structurally sound buildings in the entire Atmos; after all, it was a fortress which had survived centuries of war. One little broken crystal wasn't going to take it down.

Cyclonis did not feel lucky. She just felt tired. All the fighting, the action, and the rebuilding had taken its toll on her. It had been a long day, and she was ready to sleep.

Drop-dead tired or not, she was still extremely observant. Something was off in her room. On her desk sat a single card, a playing card.

What did it mean? She did not play cards. She turned it over, and a smile crept onto her face.

The Ace of Spades. She could guess who left it.

A card of highest value. A card used in some games to determine who goes first. Sometimes known as the "death card."

Just a friendly reminder from her Talon Commander who she held in highest value that he would face death for her.

Despite the fact that the day could be considered a setback, she felt her mood lighten. She tightened her hand around the card, then placed it back down, and still smiling, got into bed.

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I sort of like the way it turned out.

Because I'm writing this as a "I have MC/DA fever and I need to get this out" and not for any feedback or reviews, I'm not going to say "tell me if I should continue or not." I'm continuing whether you like it or not! (Though if you did like it, I'd love to hear from you!!!)

Next chapter, "Ace of Clubs," is up tomorrow!


	2. Ace of Clubs

Author's Note: I was really surprised at the amount of responses I got, especially when I said I didn't need reviews. Usually, I feel like I'm begging on my hands and knees for scraps of feedback, so it was nice to get your opinions just from you. Special thanks to Pascy, TheSaneCrazyGirl. This one turned out a lot shorter than my first. I guess it just really depends on what mood I'm in. I hope you like it anyways!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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_Ace of Clubs_

**Clubs** (also known as **clovers** or **flowers**) is one of the four suits found in the "international" deck of playing cards. In bridge, it ranks lowest out of all four suits, below diamonds. **–Wikipedia, the Free Online Encyclopedia**

Low. He felt as low as one could be. Once again, he had faced that bratty Sky Knight who dared call himself a Storm Hawk, and once again, he had lost.

He was angry. He was angry at himself for not being good enough. The Dark Ace, feared throughout the Atmos as the deadliest fighter ever to live, had been beaten by a kid. It wasn't doing his reputation any good. Talons who had once been silenced by his aura of fear as he walked past now whispered about him behind his back, chucking at whatever joke he had just been the butt of.

The real reason he felt so low was he was afraid to tell her. He didn't fear her punishment, he feared her disappointment. It was never her fault; her plans were always flawless. He had gone and messed up again, and he didn't want to tell her.

Still, he was a Talon Commander, and proud. He wasn't going to cower and hope she didn't notice him. He would be honest, he would tell her what happened, how it was his fault, and he would face the consequences. Eyes narrowed in determination, he twisted the controls on his skimmer, plunging the Sky Ride towards the Cyclonian runways.

The palace is full of many twisting, turning passageways, but through his eyes it took far less time than it should to reach her throne room. He took a deep breath, then, head held high, burst through the doors.

"Dark Ace, back already. Did everything go as planned?"

She didn't turn to face him, and he wasn't sure if this was a relief or for worse. He hated not being able to see her expressions, but then again, he didn't want to see her disappointment.

"No, Master. I failed you. I am sorry."

For the longest time, she was still, making no sound or any inclination that she heard him. Finally, she turned to face him, her hood unfolding, her own face devoid of emotion. She just stared at him, and he offered no explanation. He did not come here to give excuses.

She glanced at his arm. There was a rip in his uniform, a gash torn into his flesh, that dried blood was clumped around. "You are hurt." It was a statement, not a question.

He shrugged it off. "My well being matters not compared to the spread of the Cyclonian Empire. Your will shall be done."

She nodded, as if thinking something over. Finally, she replied. "I heard that it was you against all of the Storm Hawks, and you put up a good fight. You may not have accomplished your mission, but you did return with a crystal I requested. My judgment is this: you will not receive punishment this time. Do not fail me again, Dark Ace."

The Talon commander stared at her, gaping. The young empress was many things, but _merciful_ had never been one of them. He sputtered his thanks.

"Think nothing of it, Dark Ace. Go get your arm cleaned up."

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That night, Cyclonis found another card. This one was on her chair. She picked it up, flipping it over curiously.

An Ace of Clubs. A reminder of failure, a "thank-you" for forgiveness.

She smiled. What Dark Ace did not realize, was there was no such thing as failure. There was only power, and challenges made you more powerful.

She picked up the card, and took it to her shelf. There, in a special glass frame, sat one card, an Ace of Spades. A reminder of the first failure, and her determination not to fail again.

There would always be mistakes. There would always be ups and downs in life. She was never the sentimental type, but these cards reminded her that she was never alone. She smiled, then placed her card next to the first. In her eyes, Dark Ace was never a failure.

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Review if you want to.

Next chapter, "Ace of Diamonds."


	3. Ace of Diamonds

Author's Note: Hello! I'm back! Mwahahahahaha! To Pascy, for reviewing—thanks! I'm really glad you liked it. This one is quite a bit longer, but I hope you enjoy it, too!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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_Ace of Diamonds_

Diamond has remarkable optical characteristics. Because of its extremely rigid lattice, it can be contaminated by **very few types of impurities**, such as boron and nitrogen. Most natural diamonds are formed at **high-pressure** high-temperature conditions existing at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 120 mi) in the Earth mantle. **–Wikipedia, The Free Online Encyclopedia**

He found it ironic that she loved crystals so much. She herself was so much like the stones she wielded: beautiful, powerful, expected by everyone around to produce miracles. She was hard, and sometimes she seemed heartless, but he knew better.

He flew off into the sunrise, not that the sun was easy to see through the blood-red sky. He had gotten up far too early to even think about, when one would usually roll back over and fall asleep again. Behind the rising sun appeared the Cyclonian palace.

Yes! He would make it! He would be back before she woke up, and—

His radio beeped, there was a bit of static, then, "Dark Ace, Master Cyclonis requests your presence in the Throne Room. Um, she says have your explanation for stealing off in the dead of night ready, and it better be good."

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_Solaris Crystal:_ one of the few crystals that is actually re-chargeable. Absorbs and stores energy from the sun.

She was the light of his life.

_Warp Crystal_: an extremely rare stone with the power to teleport the user to whatever location is currently in their mind.

She warps reality. She makes right wrong, and wrong right. She turns his world upside down.

_Paralyzer Crystal_: paralyzes anything it touches for a certain range of time.

When she looks at him, and smiles, he freezes up. She paralyzes him.

_Levitation Crystal_: has the ability to make objects or people fly.

She's as light as a feather. She deserves to fly, to soar over the despair in this world and know only happiness. Although this is illogical, he wishes it for her.

_Firebolt Crystal_: the favored crystal for Cyclonian weapons. Can shoot bolts of fire, or create light.

This one was special. It was the first Firebolt Crystal the old Master had given him. This one he didn't choose because it reminded him of her; instead, he picked it to remind her of him.

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He entered the Throne Room nervously. Perhaps she wouldn't ask too many questions, she wouldn't notice. Perhaps she would just scold him then let him off without looking too closely at the satchel hanging around his waist.

"Dark Ace? Where exactly were you?" She didn't turn, but he could hear the contempt, the scorn, in her voice. She was mad—she had thought he had left her, for good, without an explanation. Now that he was back, he was going to pay for making her worry over nothing.

He tried to duck responsibility. "Running some errands. Fetching various things."

"What things?"

He was silent. He had an answer, but he couldn't tell her.

"What was so important that you had to sneak out at night using your stealth engines in the middle of the night, and journey through the Wastelands several times to avoid being seen by patrols? I know that you're hiding something from me. Could my _most trusted_ commander be plotting rebellion?"

He winced when she said 'most trusted.' It was obvious that he had destroyed the trust that she had for him.

"Please," he began again. She whirled so she was facing him, cutting him off with a glare.

"You were once a great commander and warrior for Cyclonia, so I'll grant you this: your humiliation may be private. Leave us." All of the Talons in the room scampered for the door. No one was particularly scared about leaving their empress alone with the greatest fighter in Cyclonia. With her crystals, it was he whom they pitied.

Dark Ace stood alone in the center of the floor. He made no move to take out his weapon, or escape. Perhaps he felt he still had a chance to redeem himself in his Master's eyes. She turned again, now holding an ominous-looking dark purple crystal.

"Ace, I will give you one last chance to tell me exactly what you were doing last night." Using his real name was not a term of endearment; instead, she was stripping him of his title.

Dark Ace tried one more time. "Master, please. I _can't_ tell you. Please trust me. I promise you'll know before the end of the day."

Her eyes flashed angrily. "Wrong answer."

A stream of black-purple light shot out from the crystal she held, surrounding him completely and lifting him up. "Do you know what this crystal does?" she asked amiably. Crystals and torturing people generally put her in a better mood. "It forces the one it's being used on to tell the truth. I ask a question, and it forces you to answer fully, completely, and truthfully." Dark Ace couldn't move, but his eyes widened visibly. She grinned like some maniacal predator that had cornered its prey.

"Now, Dark Ace, where were you last night?"

This question wasn't too bad. He barely tried resisting. "All around. Terra Sahar, Terra Nimbus, Terra—"

"So a lot of non-Cyclonian Terras." Her eyes narrowed. It was one thing to suspect her Talon Commander of insubordination and rebellion, but it was another to find solid proof that he had been somewhere he shouldn't have last night. "What were you doing?"

This one he resisted, but he could only hold the words in so long. "Getting…crystals….for—" He bit his tongue, forcing himself to be silent. Cyclonis, however, had gotten what she wanted.

"Getting crystals. How interesting," she cooed. Her sharp eyes surveyed him even closer, and they picked up the satchel he had brought along to carry them. Using a Levitation crystal, she yanked the pack over. "Let me see, a Solaris Crystal, a Warp Crystal, a Paralyzer Crystal, another Levitation Crystal, and a Firebolt Crystals. Most of these are pretty rare, and all of them are some of the finest grade I've ever seen." She paused. It was coming. The inevitable question. "So, Dark Ace, care to tell me exactly why you went on a wild goose chase around the Atmos for these rare crystals? Who were you getting them for? Give me names, and I might be a bit more merciful…"

The Dark Ace tried. He really did. Yet in the end, the power of crystals was stronger. In the end, he couldn't resist.

"You."

"What!?!"

"I got the crystals for you." His head hung low. He had done it. He had told her. His great plan was in ruins. There was no use hiding now.

Cyclonis stared in shock. "But…I didn't ask for any crystals. Why—"

He didn't need another question. He might as well tell her the whole truth.

"Do you know what day it is today, Master? It's your birthday. I got up at 2 AM and snuck out because you weren't supposed to know. I collected all of the crystals for you. They were _going_ to be a surprise."

She stared in shock at him. A present? For her? No one ever cared to remember when her birthday was, or give her a present. On the other hand, he was surrounded by the Truth Crystal's power; there was no way he could lie.

She realized that she was still holding him in the dark purple grasp, so she released him, gently. She didn't want him falling to the floor.

An awkward silence stretched, but for a long time, neither of them could speak.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I guess I kind of ruined the surprise." She replaced the crystals into his satchel, then walked down next to him. Wordlessly, she offered them back.

He placed a warm hand over hers, pushing her arms, satchel and all, back into her chest. "Happy Birthday, Master."

She smiled gingerly. "Thank you, Dark Ace."

--------------------------

Shock. Complete and utter shock. That was the only way to describe how she was feeling right now.

First came the anger. How dare he sneak away in the middle of the night! What, did he think she wouldn't notice? That she wouldn't find out? That she wouldn't care? She was filled with a blinding rage that clouded her judgment.

Next came the worry. Why would he be sneaking out? Was he betraying Cyclonia for some rebel cause? Dare she think it…was he seeing some _girl_? She was _not_ jealous, only her Commander had better things to do than sneak out at night for some other woman.

Of course, she only worried about him for perhaps two minutes, then her anger came back stronger than before at him for ever making her feel so weak in the first place. When he came into her throne room, all confident and sugar-tongued, that was the mood she was in.

Then came the guilt. Strangely enough, it was more powerful than all the other feelings combined. He had been trying to do something nice for her, and she had distrusted him, suspected him, and extracted the truth from him nearly to the point of torturing him. He never got mad at her. He never resented her.

So she sat there, alone, lost in her whirlwind of emotions. Mad, worried, guilty, upset, sad, depressed, touched, amazed, happy…there were so many things to _feel_, and she was so new to this; it was rare that anyone got through the protective armor around her heart and actually got a real response from her.

He had remembered her birthday. He had gotten crystals for her.

She settled for "happy," although the guilt weighed in her stomach and gut, ruining her perfect mood with a bitter taste in her mouth.

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Dark Ace stood awkwardly at the door of her private chambers. He had been inside before, but he had never been _invited_ inside before. Somehow, that made all the difference, and it stripped him of the confidence he was so well-known for.

She opened the door at 7 PM exactly. She was always very prompt. Tonight, she was wearing her usual purple robes and cloak, but somehow it made it feel more special, like she didn't need to dress up differently for him; she could just be herself.

_She only did invite me to dinner_, Dark Ace reminded himself.

Cyclonis escorted him past a spacious bedroom, an office with desks and crystal contraptions, a whole huge laboratory filled with crystals, and a private library. Finally, they came to her personal dining room.

There was already steaming hot food on the table, and small floating Illuminator crystal bathed the room in a warm, soft light. Somehow, it was more special than candlelight. It was more personal.

"I'm sorry again for…this morning," she said softly, picking at her salad. Looking at her tensed up shoulders, her pale skin, and her blushing cheeks, he realized she felt just as awkward as he did.

"It's nothing, really," he laughed. "I shouldn't have waited for the last minute to get them. I mean, you were bound to notice. It was stupid of me. Really, you were doing your job, being suspicious. All the evidence pointed against me."

"You could have told me right away."

"And spoil the surprise? That would be loosing! You know that I never surrender!"

The awkward silence was back.

"So, um, any interesting crystal projects you've been working on lately?"

She gave him an 'are-you-serious?' look. Small talk? "I'm always working on interesting crystal projects. However, to describe them I would need to use higher maths that I doubt you studied. So best leave the description at 'interesting.'"

He grinned at her. A challenge. "I studied math before. Try me." After all, she was just sixteen today. Surely any mathematics that she had studied he too would remember from his own schooling years. Probably something in advanced Geometry, since crystals used that a lot.

"Well, the analysis of the matrix involved quite a bit of higher-lever Calculus, along with some probability and statistics that I doubt you've studied, so I'll simplify it for you. The proof was especially hard to put together. You see, the regeneration crystal's matrix is complex because it is in a constant state of chaos, rebuilding then being destroyed. To effectively map it, one must map every stage of its life cycle, but it doesn't even have a set cycle. Each individual grain in the crystal had to be tracked to watch a pattern emerge and to pull a formula from the pattern. I think I've nearly gotten it right."

He looked at her in amazement. His math professors would have been confused by the stuff she knew. Even her 'dumbed down' explanation left him behind in the dust.

"So, not to be nosy, but I'm curious, where did you go to fetch all of the crystals?"

Dark Ace smiled. This was a question he could answer. "Well, I started at the marketplaces of Terra Sahar…"

-------------------------------------

It was late, when Master Cyclonis finally returned from her crystal lab to her bedroom. Dinner with Dark Ace had been nice, after an awkward start, they chatted amiably the entire time. Still, she had other work to do, so the evening ended far too early.

As for the regeneration crystal, she felt like it was testing her, but she had made another breakthrough. Another few days, and she would be able to completely reproduce the crystal from scratch, using the raw material in her lab. That was a true sign of Crystal Mastery—being able to make the crystal.

Needless to say, she was tired.

Emotionally, mentally, and physically, she was completely worn out. It had been a huge day for her, and she was ready to rest. However, when she glanced around…

The crystals he had gotten for her, the satchel of them had been wrapped up all nicely. On top was a single card. Not a store-bought card, or even a homemade "Happy Birthday" card.

It was the Ace of Diamonds.

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And the next chapter, our last chapter, our finale, "Ace of Hearts" will be up…um, not sure completely. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. I'll try, but if I get busy, oh well!

I'm not going to beg for reviews here, but feedback is appreciated.


	4. Ace of Hearts

Author's Note: This one took me a bit longer to finish. I wanted the finale to be special. For all those of you who have been waiting, the end is finally here, and I'm sorry I made you wait so long! Special thanks to reviewers: She who must not be named, Pascy, and Dancing-with-the-devil 1995. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Storm Hawks.

* * *

_Ace of Hearts_

The folk tradition of **"ace high"** existed in some games as of the late 1400s, but may have been accelerated to more widespread acceptance as a result of the **French Revolution**. The lowest number card was changed to the highest card in the deck ostensibly to represent the **victory of the common man** over King Louis XVI. **–Wikipedia, the Free Online Encyclopedia**

It took her a little while to realize that he was kissing her.

This wasn't what she wanted, was it? It meant that she had grown attached to him. Attachment was a sign of weakness. Weakness mean losing.

Love was a sentimental lie for those bored with their lives and nothing better to do. Like all lies, it fell apart. It was only a matter of time.

Yet while her mind was pondering, confused, her lips were kissing him back.

She was losing this battle. She felt the bitter defeat.

At the same time, his lips tasted sweet. He tasted like victory.

_------Five Minutes Ago-------_

For a long time, he pondered how he wanted to do it, until he finally decided just to tell her the truth. In his hands, he clutched a single card: the Ace of Hearts. He wasn't sure why he brought it, but maybe it would be easier than speaking. After all, he wasn't used to dealing with…feelings of this depth.

When he got to her door, he was surprised to see no light streaming from underneath. He had been sure that Ravess mentioned spotting the queen making her way to her chambers. Where else would she be?

He cracked open the door, slid in, and silently shut the door. Now the room was pitch black. He felt himself relaxing in the darkness. He could just wait here until she returned…

_Click._

The sound of a switch being flipped echoed across the silent room, followed by the slow powering up of the crystal lamps around the room. The room was filled with a soft golden glow, which bitterly contrasted to the anger and confusion on his Master's face.

Caught, red-handed. He was going to tell her, but he didn't exactly imagine it being this way. She did not look very happy that he had been sneaking into her rooms.

"Care to explain what you're doing here, Ace?" she sneered.

"I—" he began, but suddenly realized that words would not be enough. Stepping forward, he gently placed the Ace of Hearts in her hands, before brushing the tips of her fingers to his lips.

He didn't need to speak; the symbolism was apparent. He was offering her his heart.

Instantly, the anger was gone, replaced by sadness and confusion.

"Ace, we shouldn't," she whispered. "We have duties."

He stepped back respectfully, bowing, placing his fist once again over his heart. "I'm sorry, Master. It was rude and presumptuous of me."

He turned as if to leave, but her question caught him. "Then why did you do it?" He paused. "If it was 'rude and presumptuous,' then why did you do it anyway?"

"I was in too deep. I couldn't go on knowing you didn't know. Better to know I have been rejected than to wonder for years if I may not have been." Again, he turned to leave, but this time, he was stopped by her hand on his shoulder.

"I never said I was rejecting you."

He froze, then wheeled around. There was a mixture of confusion, fear, and mischievous glee on Cyclonis's face. "Dark Ace, I am going to ask you a question. I need you to answer completely truthfully. Why? Is this just some sort of power game to you?"

"Lark, I don't want you power," he said softly.

Her violet eyes flashed. "Then why? Tell me!" she commanded.

"I love you, Lark Cyclonis, to the Far Side of Atmos and back. I love you so much that it's tearing me apart inside, and I can no longer distinguish reality from fantasy. All I know is that my feelings for you will never change."

She relaxed a bit. "You know, you're the only person I've ever trusted, Ace. And I trust you enough to tell you this: perhaps you love for me is not as unrequited as you believe."

Dark Ace stood completely still.

It took him three seconds to extract the meaning of her words from the fancy language to cover it up. It took him another four seconds to recover the movement of his limbs from the complete shock.

After cursing internally for a second about wasting seven precious seconds, he moved forward, hypnotized by her beautiful violet eyes, until their lips were touching.

She tasted sweet, like cinnamon and spice. He had meant to start slowly, but everything about her, her softness, her smooth skin, her sweet smell, was driving him insane. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed for a long, long time.

"It took you a while," she admitted. "I was worried that you would never come to me."

"My problem now is staying away from you," he teased.

"I could live with that," she replied.

They kissed again—defeat and victory in the same heart-wrenching touch of lips.

* * *

Hours later, she sat on his lap, playing with his hair, her head resting on his shoulders.

"So, what are we going to do?" she asked. She seemed uncharacteristically nervous.

"What do you mean?" he replied.

"About…us. Do we tell the Talons?"

"Since when do we tell the Talons anything? We barely even tell them what their missions are."

"That still leaves me with my question. What do we do?"

"The same thing we've always done: keep conquering Terras until we control the entire Atmos. Then we can do whatever we want."

She sighed, but she didn't question him any more. She didn't want to ruin the moment with worries about the future. Plenty of time later on to worry, enjoy the good things that life sends your way.

She would have to trust him, which was something that was extremely hard for her. Still, he was the only one she trusted.

_------------_

Lark Cyclonis did not believe in fate.

Believing in fate would mean believing that someone other than her controlled her life. Believing in fate would mean admitting a lack of control.

There were so many possibilities for the future.

_They could end up together, ruling side by side over a conquered Atmos._

_They could end up together, facing the Sky Knight Council, facing public execution._

_They could end up together, on the run, hunted like animals for the rest of their days._

_One of them could end up dead._

_She could kill him._

_He could kill her._

Victory, defeat, tragedy—the possibilities were endless. The future was uncertain. She didn't like uncertainty.

She didn't have any Tarot cards, but she still had a deck of regular cards. She laid them all out, face down, four rows of thirteen.

She felt a shiver of foreboding run down her spine. Did she really want to know the future? Who said these cards meant anything in the first place?

Slowly, she picked one, flipped it up. It was the Ace of Hearts.

Her lips curled up into a slow smile.

* * *

I'm not really sure how that turned out.

It was fun to write, though.

The End.

~Kitty


End file.
